


Shits & Giggles

by zwobbly



Category: Purple Hyacinth (Webcomic)
Genre: And then this happened, Gen, Modern AU, apparently idk how to type, au where lauren actually sleeps?, can I curse?, general au i guess, i was trying to fix my sleep schedule, idk how to title, im sorry, ive changed my mind, kym runs the house, maybe kywi?, no trauma i swear, procrastination is real, roommate au, there will absolutely be fluff, there will definitely be kywi, who doesn't love fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:28:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23960821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zwobbly/pseuds/zwobbly
Summary: When the main four are living in the same apartment, crazy things are bound to happen.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 63





	1. Melon the Dog

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I've never used this site before so please bear with me. Some things you should know, Kieran is not an assassin and the rest of them aren't cops. This is a roommate au and they're all living together (don't ask me how that happened lol). This is all for fun and to (hopefully) ease the pain of the actual series. I hope you enjoy!

The TV drones on from the living room, but I can barely make out any words. My phone lays unlocked on the counter next to me, I'm waiting for a text back from Kym. I grab a bowl and fill it with some fruit from the fridge to satisfy my hunger. "Hey, Lauren," Kieran calls from the living room. 

"Yeah?" I say back, not looking up from the vibrant red strawberries in my bowl. 

"Can you make me a sandwich?" He asks. I can hear his smile, even without looking. 

"Make it yourself." I turn to face him, my eyes meeting his cerulean ones. He's turned his body around to face the kitchen, now ignoring whatever's playing on the TV. I grab my bowl of fruit from the counter, along with my phone, and make my way to the couch. 

"Rude." He grumbles. I ignore his remark and sit on the edge of the couch next to Will. After mindlessly staring at the TV for who knows how long, Will speaks up.

"Has anyone heard from Kym? It's been too quiet for her to have come back already." He points out. I reach for my phone, still not seeing a message from her. 

"I haven't," I reply. Kieran just shrugs. Will sighs, relaxing into the couch. 

"I'll call her." He says, leaning back to grab his phone from his pocket. Just as the sound of the phone ringing fills my ears, I hear the front door unlock. We all turn our heads, hoping it's who we think it is. The door swings open, revealing a grinning Kym behind it. One of her arms is tucked under her jacket and the other is holding a plastic bag. 

"Guess what I brought!" She shouts, taking a step towards us. She shuts the door behind her, that smile never leaving her face. After setting the bag on the floor, she unzips her jacket and moves her arm to reveal whatever she's holding. My eyes widen considerably at what lays in her arms. 

"A dog," Will places a hand on his forehead, standing up off the couch. "You got," He pauses. "A dog?" Kym's smile only widens. 

"A puppy!" Kym lowers herself to the ground, and sets the puppy free. It runs around the house with it's tongue hanging out before jumping onto the couch, and then onto me. "Aww, Lauren," Kym laughs. "He likes you!" The dog places his paws on my chest so it can lick my face. Instinctively, I grab the dog and hold it away from me. He just stares at me, tongue hanging out and tail wagging. 

Kieran reaches over and grabs the dog from my hands, snickering at me as he does so. He gently places the dog in his lap lovingly. 

"Kym," I glare. I see her reach into the bag and pull out a dog bone, along with a few other things. 

"Yeah?" she hums, turning her head to face me. 

"You know we can't have dogs, right?" I tell her. I glance over at Kieran who's still holding the golden puppy in his arms. 

" **Of course**..." She trails off. I sigh, knowing we'll have to care for this dog until we can find it a real home. I tune out Will's angry lecture and focus on the TV, but it's just a sports game I have no interest in. My attention snaps to Kym when I see her walking over to me and Kieran. She flops onto the couch next to me and grabs the puppy from Kieran, causing him to frown slightly. 

"Hi, cutie!" She smiles, bringing the puppy close to her face. I furrow my brows a bit. I've never had a dog, let alone a puppy, so it's erratic behavior alarms me sometimes. I shift my attention to Will, who's pacing back and forth in our small entryway, probably worrying about getting caught with a dog. He always worries too much. 

"Kym," Will starts, turning to face us. "You're going to find this dog a home as soon as possible." He brings his hands to his face and lets out an exasperated sigh. Kym holds the puppy close to her chest, almost protectively. 

"It's ok little boy, Willame can't hurt you." She coos, making Will even more annoyed with her. I let out a chuckle. The puppy is definitely cute. I reach out and pet the little guy on his back. He faces me, tongue still hanging out, and wags his tail furiously. Smiling, I reach out and pet his soft golden hair once more.

"I thought you didn't like dogs, Lauren." Kieran mentions. I snap my head up and lock eyes with him. 

"I don't," I reply. "But I don't despise them." I shrug. Kieran hums quietly in response to my answer before leaning onto the backrest of the couch. Kym spots the fruit I abandoned on the armrest and reaches over me to grab some. "Kym-" I start, but she's already grabbed the bowl from it's spot. 

"Here boy," Kym grabs a small blueberry from the bowl and gives it to the dog who happily eats it. "Was that yummy?" 

"Kym, stop feeding him _fruit_ " Will exclaims. I haven't seen him this pissed since the incident at the grocery store. Kym continues to snuggle the dog, and the dog licks her smiling face. 

"Here boy," Kym continues to ignore Will's statements. "Are you hungry?" She asks as if it's a real person. The dog doesn't respond, which isn't hard to believe. It's a dog after all. Kieran laughs at Will's frustration. Kym sets the dog into Kieran's lap and stands up to go get food for the dog, I assume. 

"Aww, such a cute little boy." Kieran baby talks to the puppy, making me chuckle under my breath. Kieran lifts his head up to face me. 

"What," He smirks. "Jealous?" 

"Yeah, right." I laugh, relaxing into the couch. I hear Kym pouring something into a metal dish. She actually seems to know what she's doing, which is surprising, considering it's Kym. I glance over at the clock below the TV. "How is it already 7:30?" I groan, feeling like I've wasted my day. There hasn't been much to do recently, so I've been lazing around more frequently. 

"I'm starving," Kieran whines. The puppy jumps off Kieran's lap after realizing that there was food for him. "Why does the dog get to eat before us?" He sighs, rising from the couch and running a hand through his raven hair. We postponed dinner because of Kym, and even I'm starting to get a little hungry. Kieran ambles into the kitchen with Will right behind him. Will sighs, and opens his mouth to speak. 

"Alright, what are we having?" 

\--

"Hey, Lauren," Kym whispers from her side of the room. I hum in response, not looking up from my phone. "What should we name him?" She asks. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kym holding the puppy up in the air. 

"I don't know." I reply nonchalantly. I look up at the puppy in Kym's arms. His tail is happily wagging and his little legs dangle in the air. "Why did you get a puppy anyway?" I ask, laying on my side to face her fully. 

Kym brings the puppy back down and he lays on her stomach calmly. He must be tired. 

"I found him near the road hiding in the bushes. He didn't have a collar or anything, and I didn't see his mom anywhere, so I assumed he didn't have a home." She explains. Suddenly, I feel a lot more sympathy for this animal. "I offered him some pretzels that were in my bag and picked him up," She pauses for a second and places her hand on the puppy's back. "I couldn't just leave him." She faces me, her indigo hair falling onto her face. 

"At least he'll be able to find a good home after this." I reply after a moment of silence. "We can't keep him." I say bluntly. She frowns.

"I know." 

There's another minute of silence before Kym speaks up again. "Goodnight." She says, turning towards the wall, the puppy curling into her stomach now. 

"Goodnight." I say back, although I'm not tired enough to sleep yet. Luckily for me, Kym can practically sleep through anything. So the light from my phone doesn't bother her. 

After a few minutes of endless scrolling, I hear something hit the floor. Before I can look to see what it is, I feel something jump onto my bed. The puppy walks towards me and stretches his little body before curling up against my stomach. I smile just a bit, and reach down to pet him. Maybe dogs aren't so bad after all. 

\-- 

Voices are the first thing I hear when I wake up, specifically Kym's voice. "Look, Look!" She says in a whisper. Confused, I open my eyes and to my surprise, I see Kym, Will and Kieran all standing in Kym and I's room. 

"What the hell, Kym." I groan, covering my face with my hands. I roll over onto my back before sitting up. I remove my hands from my face to attempt to fix my hair, hoping to quickly make it look at least half decent. 

"I saw you sleeping with Melon and it was just too cute," Kym exclaims, her boisterous energy too much for me at the moment. "I had to show them." She adds, referring to Kieran and Will. 

"Melon?" I question. I look down at the dog who's still managing to snooze through Kym's loud voice. 

"That's his name now," Will interjects. "Kym decided to call him Melon." He still doesn't seem to happy about having an animal we're not supposed to have in the apartment, and I don't blame him. 

"Fitting," I mumble as I swing my feet over the edge of the bed. "Now get out so I can change." I demand sharply. They all scramble out of the room, Kieran shutting the door behind him. Letting out a sigh, I stand up, making sure Melon is still comfortable on my bed. 

Changing into a simple sweater and leggings only take me a minute or two, so I soon move on to my hair. I decide to just throw it up into a bun and be done with it. I turn around and see Melon wide awake, looking ready to play. 

"What?" I ask, not expecting an answer. He just stares at me with his brown beady eyes. I head for the door and make my way to the kitchen, Melon following close behind me. The smell of pancakes fills my nose as soon as I enter the room. Only then does my stomach cry out in hunger. 

"Lauren!" Kym calls. "I found Melon a forever home!" She smiles, but I know she'll miss him. She tends to get attached to things quickly. 

"Already? That was quick." I reply, stepping into the kitchen to grab some plates for the pancakes. I grab four and gently place them on the counter. 

"Remember Lila from school?" Kym asks. I nod in response, now looking for silverware. "She's going to be adopting him." I really didn't think she'd find someone so soon. But at least we can get this dog out of the building, since he could be the reason we get kicked out onto the streets. This isn't the first time we've done something that goes against the rules. 

"I'm sure Lila will take good care of him." I say. From what I remember of her, she seems very nice, so I'm sure she'll take care of Melon better than we can. 

"I'll miss him." Kieran sighs. 

"I won't." Will interjects, followed by a muffled scoff. 

"Oh, Will," Kieran turns around with a smile. " **We know you love him**." He laughs. Will shakes his head, but I can see that he's hiding a smile. I lean over Kieran's shoulder and take a look at the pancakes he's making. 

"They look good," I praise. Kieran looks at me and smirks. 

"Oh, mon amour," He gasps. "You flatter me." He places a hand on his chest dramatically. Rolling my eyes, I turn away from him. 

"Well that's the last time I ever give _you_ a compliment." I say sarcastically. He chuckles and goes back to cooking. I walk out of the kitchen only to see Kym chasing the dog around the apartment. 

"Kym, what are you doing?" I ask, following the pair around with my eyes. She doesn't answer me and continues to chase Melon. Before Kym can catch up, he stops and lifts his leg up. 

"Melon, no!" Kym shouts, diving onto the floor to grab him, but it's too late. The dog empties his bladder onto the living room wall while the rest of us watch in horror. Kym slowly turns her head to Will, her face morphed into a sheepish smile. She grabs the dog and a blanket and runs for the door. 

"I'll go take him outside, bye!" She waves before escaping the room, leaving the rest of us frozen in place. 

After what felt like a decade, Will turns to me. My eyes widen, realizing nothing good can come from this. I quickly slip on Kym's Vans and grab the door handle.

"I'm out, bye!" I am _not_ dealing with that shit. I jog to the stairwell, thinking it might be quicker since we're only on the third floor. Once I make it to the bottom, I spot Kym outside and push through the front doors to get to her. The cold air stings my face as I walk outside. 

"Lauren?" Kym calls, holding the dog in her arms under the blanket she snagged from the couch. "What are you doing?" She laughs. 

"I didn't want to clean up his mess," I state, gesturing to the dog. "And I especially didn't want to deal with WIll." She smiles and starts walking down the sidewalk. 

"Me either." 

We walk side by side for a bit before she takes the blanket off of Melon and sets him down. He trots over to the nearest bush and does his business. Kym wraps the blanket around herself and shivers. 

"It's chilly today, isn't it." She states. I nod in agreement, although the cold doesn't bother me much. Melon turns around, his tail wagging as soon as he sees us, and walks over to me. He jumps up on my legs and I just look at Kym, not knowing what to do. 

Kym laughs at me. "Pick him up, you dummy." I furrow my brows before reaching down and picking up Melon. He's not very heavy, which isn't surprising considering his size, and he rests comfortably in my arms. "Aww, Lauren," Kym says. She pets Melon with a massive smile on her face. "He really likes you." She adds, her auburn eyes meeting mine. I look down at Melon's adorable face and smile. 

"Let's go back inside," I suggest, changing the topic. Kym hands me the blanket she was wearing and covers Melon with it. 

"And try to avoid being killed by Will," She jokes. I chuckle a bit as we make our way back inside the building. I walk towards the stairwell while Kym walks in the other direction towards the elevator. "You want to walk up three flights of stairs?" She questions, her hand outstretched to further emphasize her words. 

"It's not that much..." I mumble. Kym huffs sharply before walking over to me. 

"You're crazy." She says. I roll my eyes at her. 

"Says the one who got a dog," I retort. She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. We walk in silence for a minute, well, almost silence. Kym was muttering under her breath about how I'm crazier than her, but we both know that's not true. 

"Hey," She stops walking. I turn to face her, wondering what's so important. "You stole my shoes." She points down to her white vans I'm wearing. 

"I believe _borrowed_ is the correct term." I laugh and continue to walk up the last flight of stairs. 

"Whatever..." She says quietly. We reach the third floor and Kym opens the door since my hands are full. I say a quiet thank you and we walk down the hall to find our apartment. "Go first," Kym states. "Buy me time to hide."

"How am I supposed to open the door?" I reply. Before one of us can even place a hand on the doorknob, the door swings open, revealing Kieran behind it. 

"Well look who finally came back," He teases, opening the door wider so we can walk in. As soon as Kym enters the room, she sprints in the direction of our room.

"Kym," Wills voice booms. Kym stops in her tracks before she can even reach our bedroom door, and slowly turns to face Will. I set Melon down and he runs to Kieran, who immediately crouches down to pet him. I take off Kym's shoes and walk over to the kitchen. The counter has four plates with pancakes on them, all ready to be eaten. I hear Kym getting yelled at, once again, but I mostly tune it out. 

I grab a plate and fork and sit at one of the bar stools we have. Our apartment is too small to fit a big dining table, so we're lucky to have a built in place to eat.

I turn my attention to Kieran, who's sitting on the floor playing with Melon. He lifts his head up to face me, startling me slightly.

"What?" He says, leaning back on his hands. "Dazzled by my charm and _undeniable_ beauty?" He jests with a his signature smirk. 

"You wish," I scoff, taking another bite of my breakfast. He just laughs and rises from the floor, lifting the dog with him. I start hearing footsteps behind me, but before I can identify the person, a pair of arms wrap around my waist and pull me to the floor. I nearly scream at the sudden movement, but the feeling of the air leaving my lungs stops me. 

"If you want me, you'll have to get through Lauren first!" Kym threatens, practically holding me hostage. Kym lays beneath me, still holding onto me like a child clinging to their favorite toy. I look up to see Kieran laughing at us. 

Well, laughing at me in particular. 

"Kym-" Will sighs, trying to reason with this madwoman, but she cuts him off. 

"You wouldn't dare hurt Lauren, would you?" She yells. I try to squeeze out of her grasp, but Kym is stronger than she looks. 

"Kym, I'm not gonna hurt you _or_ Lauren." Will breathes a laugh. 

"Was that a lie," Kym asks me, shaking me. "Was he lying?" The volume of her voice hurts my ears, but there isn't much I can do about that. 

"No." I tell her. Her grip on me loosens and I quickly try to free myself. I somehow manage to stand up and escape Kym.

"Oh," She says. "So are we cool, Will?" She asks with a smile. Will stands in front of her, staring blankly. 

"Fine," He huffs. Kym smiles at his words. "But only because that dog will be gone soon." He adds, putting a finger in the air. 

"Yay!" She celebrates. Sometimes I think I know how Kym is, and then she does something that makes me question her all over again. I sit back down on the stool, this time sideways, so I can keep an eye on Kym. 

"Kieran," Kym says, walking towards him. "Can I have Melon, please." She asks, tilting her head to the side a bit. Kieran reluctantly hands the dog over to Kym, who runs to the couch and sits down. Kieran follows her and sits down next to her, with the dog laying in between them. I chuckle. 

They're already attached. 

\--

"Kym, you know where she lives right?" Kieran asks, sitting behind the wheel. I got stuck in the backseat with Kym since we're the shortest in the group. 

"Yeah," She replies, buckling her seat belt. "Hand me your phone." She extends her arm out and Kieran places his phone in her palm. She quickly types in the address and hands the phone back. Kieran looks at the address and sighs.

"This is gonna be a decently long ride." He says. 

"How long?" I ask. I can't be stuck in an enclosed area with Kym for more than an hour. I love her to death, but I don't know how long I'll last in here. 

"45 minutes." He answers. I let out a sigh of relief. That's bearable. I look down and see Melon climb onto my lap, laying his little head on my leg. Kieran starts the car and takes off. 

"Why did I have to come, again?" Will asks, turning his body to look at me and Kym. 

"You have to see Melon off!" Kym exclaims. "We all have to be there so he's not sad." She crosses her arms like a child, making Will roll his eyes. 

"He's a dog, he doesn't get sad." Will retorts, turning back around in his seat. 

"How do you know?" I speak up. 

"Not you too..." He pouts. "You were my last hope, Lauren." He says. I laugh under my breath, but I don't say anything back. Instead, I face the window and watch as the blurry buildings and trees pass by. The radio plays quietly in the background, but it's a song I don't recognize. It's gloomy out, just like it has been for the past few days. 

"Lauren," Kym calls. I turn to face her and she immediately shoves her phone in my face. "Look at these pictures I took of Melon." 

I grab the phone from her hand and scroll through the many pictures of Melon. "These are cute." I say, but one picture in particular catches my eye. It's of me from this morning, laying with Melon. I furrow my brows at the picture. 

"What?" Kym asks, leaning over to see what I'm looking at. "Oh!" She reaches for the phone, but I pull it closer to me. 

"Why did you take this?" I ask, raising my voice ever so slightly. I move my finger towards the delete button, but Kym grabs her phone before I can press it. 

"Because it was a cute moment and I want to remember it!" She yells in response. She yanks the device from my hands and pulls it towards her. I reach over in an attempt to get the phone back, causing Melon to slide off my lap. I quickly reach down and save him from falling any further before placeing him on the seat next to me. 

"Delete it!" I, once again, reach for her phone, but she pulls it away too quickly. 

"No!" 

"Would you two be quiet?" Will interjects. We both stop fighting and look at him. I can see Kieran laughing in the rear view mirror. Of course he's enjoying this. 

Kym and I stare at Will for another moment, before I use this opportunity to catch Kym off guard. I manage to release the phone from her deadly grip and, once I do, I lean as far away from her as I can.

"Lauren!" She exclaims, reaching towards me once again, but it's futile. I hit the delete button before she can stop me. A smile spreads across my face, and I relax into the seat, letting her snatch her phone from me. She brings it up to her face and a look of horror becomes her expression. 

"Nooo!" She cries, defeated. She whimpers over the deleted picture for a few minutes, but suddenly she stops. A smile comes to her face, and she looks at me. "I'm getting you back for this." 

Oh no. This can't be good. 

"Guess what," Kieran interrupts my thoughts. "We're here." 

"Finally." Will says exasperatedly. If Will wasn't done with us before, he sure as hell is now. The car rolls to a stop and I open my door, holding onto to Melon as I do so. 

"Why is the child lock on?!" Kym asks, frantically pulling at the door handle. Kieran opens the door for her, a smile on his face. 

"I don't trust you." He replies. Kym audibly gasps and climbs out of the car. 

"Ok, I'm not even surprised." She says, making me laugh a little. I hold Melon in my arms as I step out of the car. Kym didn't buy a leash, so carrying him will have to do. 

Will knocks on the rather large front door, eager to get this over with. Meanwhile, I take a better look at the house, it's quite beautiful. It has two floors, with nice landscaping in the front. 

The door opens slowly to reveal Lila, although I almost don't recognize her. It's been a few years since I last saw her, and she looks quite different. 

"Kym! Lauren! It's so nice to see you after so long." She says, pulling us in for a group hug. I back away quickly, smiling to cover up my discomfort. "Is this Melon?" She asks, pointing to the dog in my arms. 

"Yup!" Kym answers enthusiastically. 

"He's adorable!" Lila squeals. She's a bit more annoying than I remember... "I'll let you all say bye before I take him." She says sheepishly. 

I look down at him, and he looks at me with his cute little face. I give Melon a kiss on the head before handing him to Kym. "I'll miss you, little guy." I smile. 

I watch as Kym squeezes him tight, like a hug. "I'll miss you so much, Melon!" She exclaims. She walks to Kieran, and passes Melon onto him. 

"I'll never forget you, Melon." He says, petting him a few times. He turns to Will, who backs away immediately. 

"Nope." Will says sharply. 

"Oh come on," Kym says. "You'll miss him." She adds. Will shakes his head. 

" **No, I won't** ," He denies, now crossing his arms. 

"Lair." I speak up. His eyes widen ever so slightly, but he just sighs. He holds his arms out and Kieran gently places Melon in his grasp. Will looks uncomfortable, but holds him nonetheless. 

"Goodbye, Melon." He says finally. He quickly hands the dog back to Kieran. 

"Was that so hard?" Kieran asks, snickering quietly. He shakes his head in disapproval again, and walks to the passenger side of the car. 

Kieran walks over to Lila, and she gladly accepts Melon into her arms. 

"Thank you," Kym says. 

"No, thank you!" Lila smiles. "I've always wanted an adorable puppy to take care of." She explains. She takes a step backwards, ready to say goodbye. "I'll take good care of him." She adds with a wave. Kym and Kieran wave back, but I can't bring myself to. I didn't know I'd miss Melon so much. We only had him for one night. 

"Alright," Will calls. "Let's go home." 

We all get into the car, in the same spots as before, and head home. I'll definitely miss this dog more than I thought I would. 

But it had to be done.


	2. Sprint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The main four go on their weekly shopping trip. What's the worst that could happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't know how to title o-o

I lounge on the couch scrolling through social media, listening to the lovely sound of Kieran rummaging though the kitchen and slamming the cabinet doors shut every five seconds. 

"Wow, I love this song." I shout from the couch, my voice as flat as a board. The slamming of cabinets stops and I turn to look at Kieran. 

"There's no food." Is all he says. I scoff. 

"Look harder." I retort, not even a ghost of a smile on my face. 

"Why don't you come look, then," Kieran laughs. "If you're so sure there's food." He walks towards me, but stops as Will enters the room. 

"I was planning on going grocery shopping yesterday, but I wasn't able to," Will chimes in. "I'm about to head out, anyone want to join me?" He asks. 

"Me!" I hear from behind me. Kym comes out of our bedroom and runs straight to Will, her arm up like she's answering a question in class. 

"Absolutely not." He snaps. I snicker, remembering the story Will told us from the _last_ time he took Kym with him to the store. 

"Please!" She begs. "I'll be good I promise!" She says. Will turns to me and I gently shake my head, knowing what he was going to ask. Will looks back at Kym, who stands in front of him with her hands interlocked against her chest. 

"Fine." Kym gasps at Will's words. "Don't make me regret this." He adds.

Kym's face turns into a massive smile and she gives Will a hug. He doesn't return the hug and, instead, stands there looking more angry than anything. 

Kym lets him go, and skips back in the direction of our room. "I'll be ready in five minutes." She exclaims, ducking behind the wall soon after. 

"Lauren, Kieran," Will says, his voice low and serious. "I need you both to come with. We can't have a repeat of last time." He warns.   
I nod and rise from the couch, stretching a bit. I still have to wait for Kym to finish getting ready, so I walk into the kitchen. 

Kieran walks into his room and quietly shuts the door behind him. Using these few minutes I have before Kym is ready, I start looking through the cabinets. 

"What are you looking for?" Will asks, leaning on edge of the counter. 

"I need to prove something." I answer with a small smile before going back to my search. There are plenty of half empty boxes of cereal laying around, along with a few snacks here and there. I push some of the boxes out of the way and find some peanut butter, barely touched. I rush to the fridge, searching for just _one_ thing. 

"Found it." I smirk, grabbing the glass jar and setting it on the counter. I turn to Will, who looks at me like I have two heads. Spotting the loaf of bread on the counter, I grab it, along with the peanut butter and jelly. 

I hear the door to Kieran's room open, and my smile widens. He passes the entrance to the kitchen, but stops walking when he sees Will and I standing there. 

"Like I said," I start, crossing my arms over my chest. "You need to look harder." I gesture to the ingredients I've organized onto the counter. He furrows his eyebrows before meeting my gaze. 

Satisfied with my work, I leave the kitchen before Kieran can come up with some witty retort. I walk to Kym and I's room and knock on the door gently, immediately getting a response. 

"Lauren?" Kym calls. 

"That's me," I reply, my tone lacking any enthusiasm. The door swings open and I see Kym standing behind it with a big smile on her face. I walk into the room and go straight to the closet, but I stop. "Kym," I turn around. She looks at me, almost scared. "That's my shirt." I point out. She smiles sheepishly. 

"It's cute." She laughs. I roll my eyes, a smile finding it's way onto my face. There's no point in arguing with her, she wouldn't give it back anyway. 

"Fine, you can wear it," I sigh. She smiles and heads out of the room, shutting the door behind her. I go back to finding something to wear. Spotting one of my favorite hoodies, I grab it and admire how soft it is. At least Kym hasn't stolen all of my clothes.

Yet. 

I throw on the hoodie and run my fingers through my hair, making sure it looks alright. I grab my bag and go back to the living room where everyone else is waiting. Now that we're all ready to leave, we head out the door and to the car. Will gets into the drivers seat and Kieran takes the passenger, leaving me in the back with Kym, once again. 

We start our drive to the grocery store, although, we have to go to the one further away since Kym got her and Will banned from the closest one. It's not a huge deal, since the other store is only a few minutes from the other one. I still laugh at the memory. 

"What," Kym asks, I whip my head around to face her. "Why are you laughing." She asks, a grin coming to her face. 

"I remembered the last time you went to the store." Her smile quickly changes to an annoyed one. 

"Why does everyone keep bringing that up?" She pouts. I see Will look back at us for a moment, before facing the road again. Not far in the distance, I see the shopping center, bustling with cars and people. 

Great. 

Kym looks delighted to finally come here again. It's been a while for her since Will basically locks her in the house. She's a rouge, I don't blame him. 

We pull into the parking lot and Will manages to find a spot in this busy area. He stops the car, but doesn't get out. 

"Kym," He says, turning around in his seat. "I swear to god, if you pull anything," He pauses. " **I will kill you**." 

Kym gulps, but stays quiet. Stifling a laugh, I unbuckle my seat belt and get out of the car, feeling the cool air hit my skin. Once again, Kym yanks on her door handle like there's no tomorrow before Will opens the door for her. 

"I am _not_ a child," She grumbles as she walks over to me. Kym comes up to me and wraps her arms around my abdomen, laying her head on my chest. "Lauren," She whines. "You're the only one who doesn't treat me like a child!" She cries. My eyes are widened a bit from surprise, but I return the hug anyway. 

"We treat you like a kid because you act like a kid." Kieran calls, already walking away from us. Kym releases her grip on me and chases after him. Before she can reach him, he notices her and starts running away. Both of them laugh as they run through the parking lot. 

"I'm so grateful to have at least one other sane person in this house." Will sighs, looking at me. I smile and start slowly walking towards the entrance of the store. 

"What would you do without me," I laugh. He smiles and shakes his head slightly. We walk side by side, matching each other's pace. 

I see Kym jump on Kieran's back near the entrance to the store, leaving the nearby pedestrians looking quite confused. Kieran laughs as he tries to shake her off, but Kym has an iron grip. There's no way she'll fall. 

Kym spots Will and I walking towards her and Kieran, and jumps off Kieran's back. She smiles, waiting for Will and I to catch up. 

Kieran rolls a cart to Will as we get closer, and Will grabs it with ease. We head into the store, none of us daring to take our eyes off Kym. 

Will always seems to know exactly what we need, and apparently, we need chips. So, we walk down the chip aisle, passing by numerous different snacks and treats. I notice Kym's yearning expression, but she doesn't throw anything into the cart. So far, she's been well behaved. But we've only been in here for a few minutes. 

Will grabs a few things off the shelves as we pass them and gently places the items into the cart. We move on from the snack aisle, and onto the next. I grab my phone out of my pocket, already bored. I would rather have stayed home, but I understand why I'm here. 

" **I have to go to the bathroom** ," Kym exclaims, stopping in her spot. We all look at her, none of us saying anything. She's planning something, but I don't want Will to worry. She hasn't done anything yet.

"Lauren, go with her." Will states, quickly going back to shopping. I sigh and walk with Kym to the bathrooms. Kym walks with a smile on her face as we make our there. As soon as we walk inside, Kym grabs my shoulders and stares intensely at me. 

"Let's get out of here," She says, her eyes locking with mine. 

"What, no." I immediately reject her, but her gaze doesn't soften. 

"We can leave then and go get food." She offers. I shake my head. 

"Not happening," She pouts. "And even if I wanted to," I start. "Will has the keys." I tell her. She sighs and drops her hands to her sides. She looks at me, but doesn't say a word. "You have to be good so Will can start trusting you again." I explain calmly. She puts a smile back on her face before walking towards the exit. 

"No promises!" She winks. I chortle at her words and follow her out the door. I quickly catch up to her, my legs being slightly longer than hers, and walk back to the aisle we were in before. 

Surprisingly, Will and Kieran are still basically in the same spot they were in when we left. We walk up to them, but I stop when both of their faces turn ghost white. Confused, I whip around to see Kym standing behind me with a mischievous smile tugging at her lips. Without hesitance, she takes off running towards the other side of the store. 

"Shit!" I exclaim, dropping my bag and running after her. I chase her down the main part of the store, ignoring the disturbed faces of the onlookers that I pass. She stops for a moment, she knows I'm after her. I see her smirk grow before she runs down the closest aisle. I narrowly avoid crashing into some lady's cart as I round the corner. 

I can hear Kym laughing at me, but she doesn't slow down. She turns another corner, leaving my sight. I get to that same corner, but when I pass it, I don't see Kym. I look at every person I can see, but none match Kym's description. 

"How did she-" I mumble to myself. I place my hands on my knees to try and catch my breath for a second. 

"Did you lose her?" I nearly scream when I hear Kieran's voice in my ear. Placing a hand over my heart, I feel it beating rapidly before I stand up again and face him. 

"I didn't know she was so fast." I pant. Suddenly, I remember something. "Kieran, follow me." I state, heading for the kids section. _She better not be here..._

We find the kids area, which happens to be crowded with moms and children of various ages. If Kym is here, it'll be near impossible to find her. 

Kieran laughs as we approach the ball pit, which is surrounded by grumpy, dissatisfied children. So far, it's still standing, so that's an improvement from the last time Kym came to the store. 

"She's not here." I say, placing my hand on my forehead. Kieran looks around one last time before giving up, too. 

"Let's go back, then." He suggests. I nod and we make our way back to Will, although his location is unknown to us at the moment. 

"Where's Will?" I ask suddenly. He obviously didn't follow Kym through the store. 

"Still shopping," Kieran replies simply. "But I'm not exactly sure where."

"I'm going to kill her when we find her," I grumble. "If Will doesn't get to her first" 

"That mad?" Kieran chuckles, walking by my side down the semi-full aisles. 

"She had the _audacity_ to make us chase after her in a _grocery store_." I push my hair back with my hand, removing the few loose strands from my face. Kieran doesn't say anything back and we walk in silence for a bit. In the distance, I spot a familiar head of blonde hair and walk in his direction, albeit empty handed. 

"I'm guessing you didn't find her." He groans, placing a bag of frozen chicken into the cart. I shake my head. 

"Lauren lost her." Kieran speaks up. 

" _I_ lost her?" I repeat, crossing my arms over my chest. "We both lost her, don't put this all on me." I scoff, but Kieran just laughs. 

"Alright, _darling_ , we both lost her." He emphasizes that nickname he calls me, although I know he only does it to annoy me. My gaze shifts to my bag that I abandoned earlier that's now sitting neatly in the the top section of the cart. I reach over and grab it and swing it around my shoulders. 

"Would William Hawkes please come to the front of the store to pick up your child, thank you!" A sweet voice rings over the loud speaker. None of us say or do anything, we just stare at each other in shock before Kieran and I double over with laughter. 

"She didn't..." Will says in disbelief. Kieran and I continue to laugh, both of us holding our stomachs. 

"You have to go Will," I say between laughs. 

"Your child is waiting." Kieran finishes for me, only making me laugh harder. 

" **I hate both of you**." Will glares at us as he grabs the cart and walks towards the front of the store. I manage to compose myself and follow him. I still hear Kieran laughing from behind me, causing a smile to spread across my face. 

As we approach the front of the store, I see Kym hunched over laughing next to an employee. Will looks absolutely furious, as expected. He walks up to Kym and roughly grabs her arm. 

Without a word, he grabs the cart and starts to walk back towards the frozen section. 

"Kym, what did I tell you," I whisper. She looks at me with a smile. 

"I said no promises." She laughs. I shake my head at her. 

"You know Will's never going to let you go anywhere ever again, right?" I sigh. 

"No way," She replies. "He's too nice for that." 

I roll my eyes at her. Her optimism amazes me. 

Will puts the last few things into the cart and heads for the register. So far, Kym hasn't tried anything else. Although, I keep seeing her look around, which makes me think she's plotting something. _Again_.

We wait in line to check out, but out of the corner of my eye, I see Kym move back towards the rest of the store. I reach my arm out and grab her, but she slips through my fingers before I can stop her. My body reacts before I do and next thing I know, I'm right behind her. I leap forward and grab her waist, pulling us both down onto the unforgiving tile floors.

My arms take the most impact, but I don't release my grip on her. I watch as Kym cranes her neck to look at me. A smirk tugs at her lips.

_Oh no_. 

The sound of a blood curdling scream fills my ears, making me wince a bit. All heads turn our way and I feel the embarrassment setting in. I reach down to try to cover her mouth but she moves her head away too quickly. Some employees come up to us, not looking very happy. 

"Kym!" I shout in a futile attempt to stop her screaming. 

"Ma'am," One of the employees says politely. I almost don't hear her over Kym's obnoxious screaming. "I'm going to have to ask both of you to leave." She smiles sweetly. Kym finally shuts up, and I get off of her. 

"I'm sorry," I apologize, lightly kicking Kym so she gets off the floor. The employee just walks away without a word. I look down at Kym, who still refuses to stand. "Get up or I'll hit you." I threaten. 

She sighs and uses her arms to push herself off the floor. "That hurt, you know." She complains. I am _unbelievably_ close to smacking her in the head. 

I grab her wrist tightly and walk towards the exit. Before leaving, though, I pass Will and Kieran and notice Kieran struggling to hold back his laughter. I just shake my head at him, and hold out my hand to Will. He tosses me the car keys and I catch them with my free hand. I mouth a quick thanks before walking out of the store with Kym 'innocently' following behind me. 

"I hate you." I declare as soon as we step outside, my voice low and serious. 

"No you don't," Kym laughs. I shake my head for what feels like the 20th time today. Although the air is cold, the adrenaline coursing through me keeps me warm. At least for now. 

I unlock the car and get into the drivers seat. There's no way in _hell_ I'm letting Kym drive. She gets into the passenger seat with a smile on her face. 

"Wow, I never get to sit up here." She exclaims. I shove the key into the ignition and turn it, feeling the car rumble to life. 

"There's a reason for that..." I mutter, leaning back into the seat. I close my eyes, finally able to relax a bit. 

"Lauren," Kym calls. I hum to let her know I'm listening. "Can you help me hide from Will." She asks calmly. 

"Nope," I respond. "You earned his wrath." I open my eyes and face her. She pouts. 

" **You're the worst** ," She scoffs, also relaxing into her seat. Through the window, I see Kieran and Will walking towards us. I pop the trunk for them and continue to rest in the warm car. I haven't ran like that in a while. It's been to cold to go for a run or even a jog. 

I hear one of the back doors open and someone sit down. Sighing, I sit up so I can drive. 

'Kym, **I'm going to kill you** ," Will says as he enters the car. I look over at Kym, who has her eyes closed and her seat leaning back slightly. 

"You'll have to kill her later," I reply quietly. "The beast is sleeping." Will groans as he puts his seat belt on. 

"Let's just go home." He sighs. I smile and pull out of the parking spot. 

At least none of us got banned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WeAr YoUr SeAtBeLtS KiDs. This took me wAy too long to write. I procrastinate too much. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this mess of a chapter. ;)


	3. Watermelon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an average day in the apartment. Definitely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When your summaries are total shit so you have to hope and pray that it's ok enough for people to still read anyway.

"Lauren, hey!" Kieran cries, frantically pressing the buttons on his controller. "Stop shooting me!" 

I just laugh in response, continuing with my killing spree. I'm still somewhat new to this game, I've only played a handful of games, but I've still managed to kick both Kieran and Will's asses multiple times. 

"How are you so good at this game?" Will laughs, watching me piss off Kieran once again. I shrug, not taking my eyes off the screen.

My character abruptly drops to the floor, having been shot from someone nearby. 

"That's what you get!" Kieran laughs. I crawl to a safer spot, hoping the sniper doesn't come to finish me off, or worse, Kieran. 

"I didn't realize my health was so low..." I grumble. Kieran's character walks up to mine, Kieran still laughing next to me. He shoots, ending my character's life. 

"Ughh," I groan, letting myself fall back onto the bed we're all squished onto. "I hate you, Kieran." I joke. He faces me for a second, before turning back to the game. 

"You wish," He mocks, earning him a punch in the arm from me. He whines, but my attention is drawn elsewhere when I hear the bedroom door open. 

I turn my head, struggling to see past Will. I can barely make out that it's Kym standing there, but when I hear a quiet sniffle, I quickly sit up to rush to her side. Kym stands in the doorway with tears rolling down her pale cheeks and her face red and blotchy. 

"Kym," I wrap my arms around her small frame, hearing her sniff a few more times. "What's wrong?" I ask, concern undoubtedly written all over my face. I hear Will get up off the bed and make his way over to us, joining the hug. 

"Kieran, you're being rude!" Will scolds, making me snicker quietly. 

"I haven't died yet!" Kieran shouts back, still abusing the buttons on that poor controller. 

"That's more important than this?" Will challenges. I slightly rock back and forth, Kym still crying onto me. 

I hear the bed creak, telling me that Kieran finally decided to listen. I feel another pair of arms envelope us, accompanied by Kieran's warmth. We stay like that for a minute, and Kym calms down. Once we all pull away, I repeat my question. 

"What's wrong, Kym?" I ask sincerely, my eyes meeting hers. 

"Follow me," She mumbles, walking out of the room. I follow her closely and she leads me to the kitchen. Immediately, I spot something that makes me lose all remorse for this woman. 

"Kym," I slowly face her. "You did all this," I pause. "Because you couldn't slice your watermelon?" 

She nods, face still stained with tears. I nearly laugh, but my rising anger stops me. 

"You scared me!" I yell. She flinches. "I thought something bad happened!" 

"This is something bad!" She retorts, a smile playing at her lips. 

"You baby." I laugh, lightly hitting her on the arm. 

Meanwhile, Will pushes past us and rips the knife out of the watermelon, dripping some juice onto the floor. The rest of us watch as he carelessly slices the melon into chunks, obviously having years of experience with this. He grabs a bowl from the cupboards and sets it near his working station, placing the watermelon chunks into it. As soon as he finishes, he backs away from the counter with an exasperated sigh.

"Yay!" Kym shouts in excitement. She rushes over to the bowl, quickly grabbing a fork from one of the drawers, and starts stuffing her face. I watch Will's expression turn into something resembling disgust, and I don't blame him. Although, Will's gaze lingers on Kym for longer than he would usually care to look at her, but it's not my place to care. 

I take a step back, ready to continue beating Kieran's ass, but Will's voice stops me. 

"Isn't that my hoodie?" He asks and Kym freezes. Now that I take a closer look, I've definitely seen Will wearing the hoodie Kym has on before. I guess my clothes aren't the only ones she steals. 

Kym swallows the fruit in her mouth before giving Will a sheepish smile. "Maybe," She teases. The hoodie looks like it's consuming her, since Will is at least a few sizes bigger than Kym. 

"I've seen a few things in our closet that I doubt belongs to Kym," I speak up, casually resting against the back of the couch. Both Kieran and Will shift their attention to me, Kym taking this opportunity to shove more watermelon into her mouth. 

"Show us," Kieran says finally. I nod, dropping my crossed arms to my sides, and head towards Kym and I's room. 

"Wait!" Kym exclaims. She picks up the bowl of fruit and speed walks to catch up with us. A smile smile spreads across my face. She looks like a child. 

Kym pushes past me to get through our bedroom door first. 

"I swear, **it's not what you think**!" She shouts, holding one of her arms up as if to surrender, the other holding the bowl. 

Kieran walks right up to our over-stuffed closet, and pulls out two hoodies. "I was wondering where these went." He mumbles. Will copies his actions, and finds some of his clothing among the mess of fabric. 

"Kym," He sighs. "I like this shirt." He says, holding up a graphic t-shirt with a band name I don't recognize on it. Kym looks down at the floor, still snacking on the watermelon. 

" **I just found it laying laying around so I decided to keep it**..." What an idiot. 

"That doesn't even make _sense_ ." Kieran calls out, still looking through the closet for any more of his belongings. "I don't need Lauren's ability to know that what you just said was complete bullshit." He laughs. 

"I never get away with _anything_!" Kym whines, reaching her free arm into the air like this is some theatrical performance. 

"How much did you take, Kym?" I ask, amused by Will and Kieran's disbelief at the amount of missing items they're finding. 

"I don't remember." She shrugs, walking towards me. I shake my head, but a laugh escapes my lips. 

"Is there even a point to bringing this all back," Kieran thinks aloud, leaning back casually. "Or is it all going to end up back _here_?" He raises an eyebrow at Kym. 

Instead of responding, she puts yet another chunk or fruit into her mouth. Behind Kieran, I see Will's face light up, but it's more shock than happiness. 

"I..." He starts, holding up a light grey hoodie with a small white logo on it. "have been looking for this for a _year_." He raises his voice slightly, albeit not out of anger. 

I guess Kym realized that Will and Kieran aren't very happy with her, and decides to run into living room, watermelon threatening to spill from the bowl. 

"Kym!" I shout, not wanting to run after her for a _second_ this week. Her eyes are widened, but there's a smile contradicting the fear in them. 

Will rises from the floor, which is barely visible underneath the ever-growing pile of clothes. "Kym, put the bowl down," He says calmly, keeping his distance from this madwoman. 

I feel Kieran's presence behind me, and watch as he attempts to sneak up on Kym. Seeing him wouldn't be difficult, but Will keeps Kym's focus on him. I mostly just watch, not wanting to interfere too much. Kym has always been unpredictable, ever since I met her. 

Kieran manages to remain unnoticed long enough to get behind Kym, and he abruptly grabs her by the shoulders. She screams and the bowl falls from her arms, clattering as it hits the hardwood. "Kieran!" Kym turns around. Kieran laughs as he backs away from her. 

"Kieran, that's not what you were supposed to do." Will sighs, leaning his head back in frustration. Kieran walks around the sticky mess on the floor and towards Will. 

"How was I supposed to know you had some kind of plan in mind?" He challenges, eyes squinted ever so slightly. 

"It should have been obvious that _that_ was a horrible idea." Will retorts, gesturing to the mess none of us have bothered to clean up yet. Kym looks at me, her eyes boring into mine as if she's screaming ' _help me_ '. 

"Well how was I supposed to know she was going to drop it?" Kieran shouts. They're full on arguing at this point. 

And now I understand why our neighbors hate us so much. 

Kym uses this opportunity to run towards me, but when she tries to stop, her socks cause her to slide right into me. I manage to keep my balance, and I notice Kieran and Will have stopped their arguing and are now staring at both me and Kym. Kym grabs my hand and pulls me away. I try my best to break free, but Kym is strong as hell. 

"Kym what are you doing?" Will asks, genuinely confused. 

"I'm running away from you!" She replies.

"And why have you taken Lauren hostage?" Kieran chimes in. Kym stops walking, and stands near the kitchen. 

"I need an ally." Kym exclaims, sounding determined. I look at her with confusion written all over my face. 

"This is _not_ how you make allies." I tell her. Kym brushes my statement off and doesn't respond. 

"How about we make a trade?" Kieran suggests, a casual smile on his face. 

He's enjoying this. 

"Fine," Kym snaps. "I'l give you Lauren if you give me Will." She states. My eyebrows furrow. 

"What am I, cattle?" I shout, still trapped in Kym's grasp. 

"Deal," Kieran smirks. 

Great, now they're ignoring me. 

He ushers Will towards Kym and I, and Kym pushes me forward. Kym grabs onto Will so he can't escape, and he looks like he's about to go on a murderous rampage, and I might just join him. 

As soon as I get close enough, Kieran grabs my arm and pulls my back to his chest. 

"What now?" Will asks, not even bothering to get away. 

I can feel Kieran's heart beating and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. I don't think we've ever been _this_ close before. 

"We fight!" Kym declares, interrupting my thoughts. Will rolls his eyes like a teenage girl, looking more annoyed than ever. 

"Why," I ask. How did we go from discovering Kym's stash of stolen clothing to some kind of battle in the living room? "What are we even fighting over?" I ask, but I receive no answers, as Kym and Kieran are glaring daggers at each other. 

Kym makes the first move, darting towards Kieran and I. I throw my arms up to block her, but there's never any impact. Kieran moves from behind me and duels Kym, although neither of them have any weapons. 

I eye Will across the room, and attempt to run towards him, but Kieran grabs my arm before I can get very far.

"Where do you think you're going?" He says. His grip on my arm loosens, but I don't try to get away this time. He's quicker than I thought. 

Within seconds, he holds Kym's arms behind her back, Kym looking shocked. Defeated, she sighs and looks at Will with a smile. 

"Get her!" She exclaims. Surprisingly, Will listens and starts to run at me. 

"Lauren, you hold Kym," Kieran says. "I'll take care of him." The smile on his face is unnerving, but I decide not to think about it too much. I grab Kym's arms and hold her as tightly as I can. 

"Well, well," She looks at me. "How the turns have tabled." 

"What?" I laugh, and Kym does the same. 

I look over to see Kieran hold Will's arms behind his back like he did with Kym. Will has a disappointed look on his face as Kieran brings him over to Kym and I. 

"Good work," Kieran smiles at me. He turns his attention to Will and Kym. "Since you both lost, you guys can clean up that watermelon mess over there." He says. 

"Kym, you're the worst teammate anyone could ever have." Will snaps. 

" **I'm hurt** ," Kym makes a pouty face, which only further aggravates Will. 

I let Kym go, and sit down on the couch. And for a moment, things are quiet. 

"Alright, now we actually need to clean this up before it ruins the floor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly should have titled this thing "Will is mad all the time" because THATS WHAT THIS IS. 
> 
> whatever it's fine
> 
> I hope you didn't hate it :)


	4. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, the apartment isn't always full of laughter and jokes. Today is one of those days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me 7 years to write. No one is surprised.

My breath clouds in front of my face, the cold air stinging my cheeks. Kym sits in a chair a few feet away from me, her amber eyes focused on her phone as she scrolls through some social media app. I lean back into my own chair and stare down at the few people walking below us on the sidewalk. The sun sits below the clouds, darkening the sky little by little as the minutes pass. I hear Kym sigh, and I turn to face her. 

"I'm _freezing_ ," She says, wrapping her arms around herself. I laugh. 

"You didn't have to come out here with me," I tell her. Her expression changes into a look of disapproval. "You chose to come and sit in the cold." 

She huffs, lowering herself in her chair like a toddler. "That's not the point." She grumbles. 

"Do you want me to get you a hot chocolate?" I offer, mostly because I want one for myself, but she doesn't need to know that. 

Her eyes light up at my statement. "Yes!" She smiles, sitting up a bit more. I rise from my chair and open the sliding glass door, feeling the warmth of the apartment hit my face as soon as I do. "Thank youuu!" She calls before I shut the door. Immediately as I step inside, the loud TV catches my attention. The TV shows a woman in a fancy red dress talking about how much she loves some man.

Of course.

Kieran's watching The Bachelor again. 

I walk in between the couch and the coffee table, avoiding Kieran's feet as I step by. "I can't see," He says. But, instead of moving, I stand right in front of him, completely blocking his view of the screen. "Get out of the way," He sighs, holding up the remote to try and pause the show. A smirk comes to my face. 

"Am I blocking your view?" I ask, putting on an innocent face. He rolls his eyes.

"Yes." 

"How can that be?" I smile. "I _am_ the view." Kieran laughs, and I laugh along with him. 

"You wish" He chuckles. "Now please move," His cerulean eyes brighten as he smiles at me. 

I continue to the kitchen and he plays the show again, the woman's annoying voice filling the otherwise silent room. I open one of the cabinets and grab out two identical mugs, but before I can get the milk from the fridge, I hear the front door open. 

I whip my head around, despite already knowing who had opened the door, and see Will there, hair slightly disheveled and his face pale and blank. He looks _tired_.

Abandoning the empty mugs on the counter, I stand in front of him before he can get to his room. "Will," I breathe, not sure what to way. "What is it?" I ask, looking up at his eyes which are swirling with sorrow. 

He takes a breath. I know he doesn't want to tell me, to worry me. He looks down at the ground, squeezing his eyes shut. 

"It's my mom," He finally says, still not meeting my gaze. "Her condition is worsening." He nearly says more, but cuts himself off. 

"I'm sorry." After all these years, I still don't know what to say. So, a simple _I'm sorry_ is the best I can offer. 

Before either of us can say or do anything more, the door to the balcony bangs against the door frame as it opens. "Lauren! Where's my hot ch-" Kym doesn't finish her sentence. Her eyes catch Will's and she rushes over in an instant, not even bothering to shut the door. 

She stands in front of him, her face ridden with concern as she trails her eyes up and down his figure. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kieran stand and shut the door before walking over to us. 

"Wait here," Kym speed walks into the hallway and comes back out with an armful of blankets. 

'Wha-" I'm interrupted by a mound of soft fabric being abruptly placed into my arms. I almost drop them, but I manage to keep the blankets from hitting the floor. By the time I look up, Kym is gone again. I look to Will, who looks just as confused as me. 

Before we know it, Kym returns. This time, she's found a way to carry four pillows in her arms. She stands in front of Kieran, who's expression matches mine. 

"Hold out your arms." Kym commands. Kieran does what she says, looking at me with fear in his eyes. If the mood in here wasn't so dreary, I might have laughed. 

After stacking the four pillows onto Kieran's arms, Kym runs off into the kitchen to grab a few snacks. 

"Follow me," She smiles. 

"Kym, what's this about," Will sighs, although he trails behind Kym anyway. 

"You'll see," 

We take the elevator to the top floor, and I'm starting to overheat from all these blankets. The elevator opens with a 'ding' and we all walk out. Approaching a sign that reads, _Access to the roof is only permitted to employees_ , realization hits me. 

"Kym, you know we're not allowed up there, right?" I exclaim, tilting my head so I can see around the pile of blankets in my arms. 

"It's fine," She waves her hand. "I come up here all the time." 

"What-" Kieran starts, confused. "When?" He asks. Kym just smiles. 

"Whenever I feel like it." 

She grabs the door handle and pulls a key from her pocket. 

"How the fu-" Kieran starts. 

"How did _you_ get a key to the roof?" Will asks in disbelief. 

"That's a secret," Kym winks, opening the door. I can already feel the icy air hitting my skin from where I’m standing, and it sends chills down my spine. We all walk outside, the cold fully enveloping us now. "Can you lay that big blanket down, Lauren." Kym points at the cement towards the middle of the big roof area. To get the big blanket, I drop all the other ones and spread out the largest one to the best of my ability. 

"Perfect!" Kym exclaims. "Now, Kieran, throw the pillows down." 

He tosses the pillows, one by one, onto the blanket and Kym bends down to line them up next to each other. Once she finishes, she stands proudly with her hands on her hips, admiring her work. 

“I assume you want us to lay down,” Will speaks up, but his face remains emotionless. Kym smiles. 

“Correct,” Kym slides her shoes off and sits on the edge of the soft blanket. Will hesitates, but quickly follows Kym’s actions. He lays down next to Kym and stares blankly at the sky. 

“Lay down Lauren” Kym invites. She gestures to the empty spot next to Will, and I gently slide my shoes off and lay down next to him. The sun hovers over the treeline and the sky above it is a beautiful mix of orange and pink. There’s few clouds littering the sky, letting the swirl of colors show through. 

“How do you guys like it?” I hear Kym ask. I turn my head to face her, seeing her smiling face just past Will’s. 

“It’s pretty,” I reply plainly. Kym scoffs. 

“That’s it?” She laughs, sitting up a bit more. A smile makes its way to my face. 

“Yup,” I smirk, knowing she’s not satisfied with my answer. 

“Kieran,” Kym calls. “What about you?” I roll my head over to look at Kieran. He looks a bit surprised, probably not expecting his name to be called. 

“I like it,” He sighs. “It’s nice and peaceful.” He smiles and moves his arms behind his head. 

“Why do you come up here?” Will brings up, his voice empty. Kym freezes for a moment. 

“I come here when I need to… get away.” Her voice gets quieter on the last two words. I furrow my brows slightly, but decide not to pry. Kym’s never been very open about anything, except her love for watermelons of course. “I figured bringing you here might help you, too.” She smiles at Will. I grin. Kym is a pain in the ass most of the time, but it’s moments like these that remind me why I love her. 

I watch the sky darken, the pink fading into a deep blue. There are stars peeking through the clouds, shining relentlessly through the growing darkness. Shivering, I reach over and grab one of the spare blankets I dropped earlier to keep me warm. 

“Hey,” I hear someone murmur. Rolling over, I see Kieran’s face not far from my own, surprising me a bit. “That was mine.” He says. 

“So,” I retort, snuggling into the comfy blanket. 

“I’m cold,” He complains, trying to pull the blanket from my grasp. 

“Stop being a baby,” I snap. “There’s more blankets over there.” I sacrifice my arm to the cold and point at the last blanket left. He pouts. 

“Im hurt, darling.” He puts a hand on his chest, giving me puppy-dog eyes. 

Ignoring Kieran, I turn to Will. “Is there anything else we can do,” I ask him, my voice barely above a whisper. He faces me, blue eyes still shining in the dim light. 

“You’ve all done plenty.” He smiles. My face drops. 

_I’ve done nothing_. 

“Are you feeling better?” I break the moment of silence. His smile wavers. 

“I’m getting there,” 

Just as I was starting to warm up, the cold air smacks me out of nowhere and I utter a small gasp. 

“You bitch!” I exclaim, sitting up now. Kieran laughs as he holds the blanket in his hands. I grab onto the end of it and pull as hard as I can. “Give it back, you ass.” I demand. 

“I had it first, _mon amour_.” He smirks, pulling at the other end of the fabric. 

“You guys are literally fighting over a _blanket_ ,” Kym scoffs. “Way to be mature.” I whip my head around to face her. 

“Says you!’ I retort. 

“You’re the least mature out of all of us, Kym.” Kieran adds, now behind me. Our tug of war never ceases, despite not even facing each other. Kym rolls her eyes at us. 

“Whatever.” She laughs. 

I turn back around to face Kieran again. He’s still pulling vigorously at the other end of the blanket. Without a second thought, I let go of the fabric, sending him backwards, but he catches himself before he can fully fall to the ground. 

I snicker and lay down, putting my back towards him. Though I may be cold, seeing the panic on his face as he flew back was worth it. I look back up at the sky. It’s gotten significantly darker in these past few minutes. I close my eyes, trying not to let the cold bother me. 

The frigid air around me disappears and I realize that Kieran must have thrown the blanket on me. A smile creeps onto my face as my shivering stops. 

“I’ll get you back for this,” Kieran threatens. I smile. 

“I’ll be waiting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruh why is this one so SHORT? Makes me sad. Also, I spell like a 6 year old and have the vocabulary of someone who's mAyBe read one or two books in their whole life. Wtf. In conclusion, im bad :)))))
> 
> Have a nice day ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Whew. It's finally done. This took me waaay longer than it should have. Anyway, I do plan to update this. It was fun to write, despite all the procrastination and the destruction of my already broken sleep schedule. Apparently, I can only write between the hours 10pm and 4 am. Well, I hope you enjoyed at least a little bit. :) (Also, if you have any feedback or constructive criticism, I would love to hear it)


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